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Eaglet Recovering After Long Struggle To Free Wing

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MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – After thousands of webcam viewers watched an eaglet struggle to free his wing for hours Friday, the wounded and weary eaglet is recovering and receiving medical care at the Raptor Center.

The Raptor Center’s blog says the eaglet suffered swelling and bruising on his wing, which was caught in part of his nest. The eaglet also suffered wounds on his back; those wounds became infested with maggots.

Officials from the center said the injuries were not life-threatening and that the eaglet will likely recover. However, it is too early to tell if he will be able to return to his nest, which is located in Hutchinson, Minn.

“We know that with no other chicks in the nest, the parents will not hang around for very long without a chick to feed,” the blog post said. “We do not yet know how long it will take the chick to recover enough to be returned to a nest.”

Jim Mussel, an avian expert, rescued the eaglet Friday. He noticed the bird’s poor condition and made the decision to bring him to the Raptor Center for treatment.

When arriving at the center late Friday, the eaglet received treatment to prevent stress from overtaking its weakened and struggle-strained body.